Balsamic Roast Chicken & Smashed Cauliflower Potatoes

Apparently it's a thing now to put freeze-dried, pulverized cauliflower powder into processed foods to make them "healthier." Now, I like throwing nutrient-rich foods like whole grains, veggies, and fruits into food, and freeze-dried cauliflower powder is more wholesome than some additive or artificial thickener, but it doesn't have the same health benefits as a whole fruit or vegetable (be it fresh or frozen).

When you add fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables to your meal, you're amping up a few wonderful things:

1. Water content: makes you feel full on fewer calories

2. Fiber: helps you stay full longer; aids in blood sugar control

3. Vitamins and Minerals: keeps your body running smoothly, helps prevent disease

4. Phytochemicals (like antioxidants): protects your body from damage and disease by acting like a force field around your cells

So, freeze-dried cauliflower powder is better than some ingredients, but nowhere near as healthy as home-prepped veggies. Pureeing fresh or frozen vegetables is a much better way to go.

Here's what Marion Nestle, nutrition expert, author, and Professor at NYU says to the AP about the whole thing: "Oh what will they think of next...what a silly idea." 

Today's recipe toes the trend by swapping some potatoes for real cauliflower in our mascarpone mashed potato side dish. Serve it alongside tender chicken topped with sauteed peppers in a balsamic vinegar sauce for a flavorful, delicious dinner.

 Balsamic Chicken with Peppers & Smashed Cauliflower Potatoes

adapted from Cooking Light

Things you probably have to buy are in bold:

Ingredients for Chicken Dish:

3/4 tsp salt, divided

3/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed*

1/2 tsp black pepper, divided

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp oregano

4 (6-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

cooking spray

2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1-1/2 medium peppers)

1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper (about 1 medium pepper)

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 3 small-medium shallots)

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

*If you don't have a mortar and pestle (and I don't), try putting the seeds in a plastic bag and lightly tapping them with a meat mallet until they break open. Then combine the rest of the spices in the same bag. It's like shake-and-bake! (except not really at all I guess). 

Ingredients for Cauliflower Smashed Potato Dish:

1 medium-sized Yukon gold potato (about 1#), peeled and cubed

1 head of cauliflower, de-stemmed and cut into hunks

1/3 cup 2% milk

3 TBLS mascarpone cheese

1/2 tsp salt

Recipe-Chicken:

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 450 Fahrenheit. Combine 1/2 tsp salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 tsp black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano in a small plastic bag and shake to combine. Brush chicken with 1-1/2 tsp oil. Sprinkle spice rub over chicken. 

Step 2: 

Add 1-1/2 tsp oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over and cook 1 minute.

Step 3: 

Arrange chicken on an 11x16-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until done. (Done = thermometer in the middle of the breast reads 165 Fahrenheit or above). Use the pan for the balsamic peppers (below).

Recipe-Balsamic Peppers:

Step 1:

Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper slices, shallots, and rosemary. Saute 3 minutes. 

Step 2: 

Stir in broth, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Step 3: 

Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Recipe - Cauliflower Smashed Potatoes

Step 1:

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.* Drain, and place in large bowl.

Step 2:

While potatoes are cooking, bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook ten minutes, or until tender. Drain and add to bowl with potatoes.

Step 3: 

Add the milk, mascarpone cheese, and salt. Mashed to desired consistency. For an even smoother bite, use an immersion blender. 

*to get the best nutritional bang for your buck, steam instead of boil vegetables. You lose nutrients in the water. I didn't have a great steaming apparatus handy last night, but here's how you do it: 

Stovetop Steaming: place a colander or steamer basket on top of a pot of water. The colander/basket should fit snugly, and the water in the pot should just barely touch the bottom of your steaming apparatus. Once the water comes to a boil, add the veggies and loosely or half cover. 

Microwave Steaming: If you like to microwave (great time-saver but sometimes controversial cooking method): place veggies in a microwave safe bowl and fill with a little water (like the amount you'd wash them with). Cover the bowl with a vented microwave safe lid or plastic wrap with one corner left open to vent. 

Thanks to About.com for some great tips on steaming

Nuts for Shortbread

This is one of those times you look at an ingredient list and you think to yourself, there is absolutely no way this could taste bad. Butter? check. Sugar? check. Vanilla extract? Salted cocktail nuts?? CHECK. I tore this magically simple recipe out of a Gourmet Magazine in 2006 (sigh. moment of reverent silence for the now defunct magazine that gave me some of my most favorite recipes. My heart sinks a little bit when I think that I will never read "the last touch" page again). 

Reasons I love this recipe:

5 ingredients. 

Prep = chopping some cocktail nuts.

No fancy equipment (I'm looking at you, stand mixer).

Low maintenance. Just bake for 20 mins (I'm looking at you, biscotti).

You're required to use your hands.

Now without further ado, and with a flourishing bow to the forever beloved Gourmet Magazine, I present to you, this buttery, butterscotchy, salty, nutty, crumbly cookie, perfectly designed for a cup of tea (or nibble any time of day as I have quickly learned since baking them last night)...

Mixed-Nut Shortbread

Gourmet Magazine, August 2006

Active time: 15 minutes; Start to Finish: 45 minutes

Things you probably have to buy are in bold:

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup salted and roasted mixed cocktail nuts, coarsely chopped

Recipe:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and pre-heat to 375 Fahrenheit.

2. Stir together butter and 1/3 cup of sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until combined well.

3. Stir in vanilla and flour, and mix with your hands, just until the dough forms.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly greased baking sheet and spread evenly with your fingers to form an 8-inch square.*

5. Sprinkle nuts evenly over dough, pressing down to help them adhere.

6. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over nuts and bake until the shortbread is deep golden: 20-25 minutes.

7. Cool on baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into 18 (roughly 3-by-1-1/2 inch bars).**

*Alternatively, you can spray cooking spray on a baking sheet and cover with parchment paper. This will make clean-up time easier. You need the cooking spray so the parchment paper won't slide all over the place when you press the dough.

**I went to the gym while the dough cooled. When I came back 40 minutes later, it had totally cooled so when I cut it, it broke into pieces instead of nice rectangles. I thought it was nice and rustic looking, but if you want rectangles, it's probably best to cut it while it's still a little warm.

Bonus Features:

Embarrassing but True: I used a tape measure to get a perfect 8x8' square...

Delicious Topping Options: Dip half the bar in melted semi-sweet chocolate (or smear on with a knife), rest on parchment paper and refrigerate to harden. Top with cranberries, craisins, or fruit as desired. 

Mediterranean Chickpea Patties & Greek Salad

Just because we're not summering in some exotic location doesn't mean we can't eat like we are. Get your fill of Mediterranean flavor with this healthy vegetarian meal. A mix of tastes, textures, and temperatures, this dish has got it going ON. Warm, crispy, pan-fried chickpea patties flavored with fresh basil, cumin, and garlic only take 2-3 minutes of stove time. In this heat, who wants to spend the whole night sweating over a burner? Not this girl.

Assuming you have some semblance of a pantry, I've put items in bold you'll probably need to buy. See? It's not that long a list now! Doesn't that feel better?

If you keep pantry staples like beans, basic spices, eggs, flour, olive oil, canned meats, whole grain pasta and rice, canned tomato sauce, and peanut butter on hand, you'll spend less time in the grocery store and can get meals on the table way faster.

Recipe from Health Magazine (March 2010)
Prep: 16 minutes; Cook: 4 minutes; Serves: 4

Ingredients for Chickpea Patties: 
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 egg, whisked
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients for Salad:
8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 small red onion
1 cucumber, sliced

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1

Pulse chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, & pepper in a food processor until roughly chopped and mixture forms a paste

Step 2

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add whisked egg and 2 TBS flour. Form into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Put 2 TBS flour on a plate, and some on your hands, and roll the patties to coat. Tap off excess flour.

Step 3

Heat 2 TBS oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Dry on paper towels to soak up extra oil.

Step 4

For salad: mix together salad greens, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, and sliced cucumbers.  Place two store-bought stuffed grape leaves on top (dolmas).
For dressing (makes 8-servings): Mix together 1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon), and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad.

***

Serving suggestions: Have a salad for dinner and jazz it up the next day with a hunk of crusty baguette smeared with tangy Greek tzatziki. Mash the stuffed grape leaves onto the bread and layer with salad and chickpea patties.
Note: Tzatziki is a Greek spread made with thick, tart, Greek yogurt, cucumbers, dill, and garlic. Look for it near the hummus spreads at your local market. Yum!